Chicken (fresh, whole) cost $2.01 a pound on average in U.S. cities in August 2026, 3% less than a year earlier (BLS series APU0000706111). The peak in this series since 2019 was $2.09 in June 2025.
Chicken cost 3% less than a year ago
Monthly U.S. city average, dollars a pound. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, average price data, series APU0000706111 (Chicken, fresh, whole, per lb. (453.6 gm)), through August 2026.
Year by year
Year
Average
Highest month
Lowest month
2026 (January to August)
$2.03
$2.05
$2.00
2025 (BLS published no October figure)
$2.06
$2.09
$2.02
2024
$2.00
$2.08
$1.95
2023
$1.91
$1.98
$1.85
2022
$1.80
$1.89
$1.62
2021
$1.53
$1.61
$1.44
2020 (BLS published no May figure)
$1.56
$1.75
$1.36
2019
$1.49
$1.59
$1.43
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A year in progress is marked with its months; a month BLS did not publish is named.
The price index for poultry
The consumer price index for poultry (CPI-U, seasonally adjusted, BLS series CUSR0000SEFF) stood at 312.0 in August 2026, 0.5% higher than a year earlier: the category as a whole, where the average price above is one item.